New Mich. chief: 'Borderless policing' key in tackling crime

Police Chief Tony DeGiusti has been working with other police agencies within the county to improve relationships and tone down egos

By Katrease Stafford
Michigan Live

YPSILANTI, Mich. — Criminals have no boundaries and neither should police agencies in Washtenaw County, according to new Ypsilanti Police Chief Tony DeGiusti, who said borderless policing will be one of his greatest priorities.

Although the role just became official, he's been working with other police agencies within the county, such as the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office and the Eastern Michigan University Department of Public Safety, to improve their relations over the past several months.

"I subscribe to kind of like a no-boundaries or borderless policing," DeGiusti said. "I don't see why because there's line on a map that we pay attention to that. Criminals don’t , so we need to change the way we think about things and the way we operate.

"In the past I know there's been a lot of across the board, not necessarily with Ypsilanti, but there's some territorialism of 'This is my town and this is how we do things' and I think we need to break away from that. You can't let pride or hubris get in the way of getting the job done."